The Vegas Golden Knights may be sitting near the top of the Pacific Division, but there’s no sense of comfort inside the room, especially with the playoff race tightening by the day. And Mitch Marner knows exactly how quickly things can change.
Mitch Marner Locked In as Golden Knights’ Playoff Race Tightens
Vegas enters a crucial stretch as it tries to rediscover consistency. Despite holding second place in the Pacific with a 32-25-14 record (78 points), the margin for error is shrinking.
The Edmonton Oilers are just one point back, while the Los Angeles Kings are also right in the mix. One slip, and the standings could shift quickly.
Even more telling, if Vegas were in the Eastern Conference, that same record likely wouldn’t even secure a wild-card spot, highlighting just how tight things are across the league.
Marner, fully aware of the situation, made it clear there’s no room for complacency.
“Nothing’s ever going to be easy. Nothing’s ever going to be just a cakewalk,” he said. “Every game’s a challenge. Every team wants to come in and beat the Vegas Golden Knights.”
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The Golden Knights are coming off a much-needed 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday, a result that snapped a rough stretch after three straight losses.
It wasn’t a smooth ride, either.
Brayden McNabb opened the scoring early, but Wyatt Johnston answered on the power play. Justin Hryckowian gave Dallas the lead late in the first before Ivan Barbashev tied things up in the second. In the end, it was Reilly Smith who delivered the difference-maker in the third period.
For Marner, the win wasn’t just about the result; it was about how the team responded. “I think it was a great back-to-back effort,” he said. “All five guys going over the boards really played together, played as a unit… from our D zone to the neutral zone to the O zone. All around, just a great effort… We knew it was going to be tough, we just had to keep going.”
That sense of trust and structure is something Vegas will need to lean on moving forward. “So we’ve got to stick together as a team. That’s what we’ve done a great job of is trusting one another, talking through it, knowing stuff will turn, trusting one another, and trusting the game plan,” Marner added.
With momentum back on their side, the Golden Knights now turn their attention to a tough test against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
